Kabul, Oct 5 (IANS) Civilians are bearing the heaviest burden as Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to exchange accusations across the Durand Line. The destroyed homes in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces showcase the conflict that Kabul and Islamabad do not seem able to contain, a report has detailed.
On October 1, Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Kunar and Helmand, reigniting tensions between Kabul and Islamabad and raising concerns about the civilian death toll in Afghanistan. Taliban said that nine people, including women and children, were killed, and 11 others were injured, while three homes were destroyed in Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned Pakistan’s actions, describing it as “aggression and crime in violation of all accepted principles,” a report in the Afghan Diaspora Network detailed.
Pakistan said that airstrikes targeted hideouts used by armed groups, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and that 22 militants had been killed while weapons and ammunition caches were destroyed. However, local sources in Kunar said that Pakistan’s airstrike struck a civilian home in the Chaugam area of Shultan district in Afghanistan’s Kunar province. Local journalists said that six people, including children, were killed and three others were injured in the attacks. Residents said that livestock, including goats, cows and donkeys, were killed in the airstrikes carried out by Pakistan.
“I came to help after the attack, which happened around 3 am. The family was very poor. They had livestock and many of the animals were killed. I want the authorities and the international community to investigate this atrocity,” Afghan Diaspora Network quoted Musafer Khan, a resident of Shultan district, as saying.
Meanwhile, residents of Garmser district said that the victims of Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan were common citizens struggling to survive in a region long impacted by poverty and conflict.
“There were no terrorists here. They were all civilians. Most of them were poor people who worked as daily labourers in the market to earn a living and provide food for their children. We call on the United Nations to investigate this incident,” the Afghan Diaspora Network quoted a local resident as saying.
Another resident, Safa Rawza, voiced concern over what they described as the international community’s failure to listen to Afghan people. He said that people of Afghanistan condemn Pakistan’s attacks and said that they will stand with the Taliban if Islamabad continues to carry out attacks.
“In villages such as Shultan and Safar, families are not debating intelligence assessments or military strategy. They are burying relatives, clearing rubble and trying to rebuild lives shattered by another round of violence. As Pakistan and Afghanistan exchange accusations across a tense Durand Line, one reality remains unchanged: civilians continue to bear the heaviest burden,” Gaheez Salarzai, mentioned in a report in Afghan Diaspora Network.
“The names of the armed groups may change, and the justifications may differ, but for many Afghans, the outcome has become tragically familiar: another airstrike, another funeral, and another community left to rebuild from the rubble,” the author added.
On October 1, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that at least 10 people were killed, and nine others injured in Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand.
The UNAMA noted that people continue to be affected by cross-border hostilities and reiterated its call for de-escalation, dialogue and respect for international law.
“UNAMA has confirmed that at least 10 civilians were killed, most of them children, and 9 people injured in airstrikes carried out in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces earlier today,” the UNAMA posted on X.
“Civilians continue to be affected by cross-border hostilities. UNAMA reiterates its call for de-escalation, dialogue, respect for international law and prevention of further civilian harm,” it added.
–IANS
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